Death's Cloak
by IvyClare2020
Summary: Levi Ackerman was no stranger to Death. He knew from the time he was small that it was easier to die than to live. Yet, he never cried when death came about. Of course, that wasn't to say that Levi was untouchable or void of human emotion. He'd simply seen and greeted Death too many times to break every time. No, to Levi, Death was an old friend. One-Shot


**Hello, everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed my last one-shot, _When It's_ _Over_ (if you haven't read it, please do).I love to hear from you all! Anyway, here's my latest one-shot. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own Attack on Titan, sadly.**

 **Ugh, I just want to hug Levi after this!**

* * *

 **Death's Cloak**

Levi Ackerman was no stranger to Death. He had seen Death claim many people; the young, the old, the in-between. He'd seen Death take people through slit throats, gun wounds, and sickness. He'd seen those who were left behind, those who ended up suffering more than the dead souls themselves. He knew from the time he was small that it was easier to die than to live.

Yet, he rarely cried. When he did shed tears over broken bodies, those around him knew the body had been someone. Of course, that wasn't to say that Levi was untouchable or void of human emotion. He'd simply seen and greeted Death too many times to break every time. No, to Levi, Death was an old friend.

* * *

 **The First T** **ime**

The first time Levi met Death, he was barely able to crawl. His mother, Kuchel, had decided it was finally okay for her son to see outside the four walls of their home. She held onto her baby tightly as she walked to the market area. They needed food, and though Levi couldn't understand why his and his mother's bellies were always aching, Kuchel could. She was ill. She knew she was going to die, and so did her employer. The disease she had contacted during one of her jobs now resided in her body, waiting for the right moment to strike. As a result, the brothel no longer offered her to its customers, and the raven-haired girl was left to fend for herself and her baby.

"Hush, Levi," she whispered as her son started to wail. She glanced around at the strangers who turned to glare at her, as if her child was an intentional nuisance. When Levi continued to shriek, his mother scampered into an alley way, hoping to escape the crowd of people.

"Here. This ought 'a be worth something."

Kuchel froze. Deep voices echoed on the buildings surrounding her. She squinted in the darkness, trying to make out whom and what was just a few feet away from her. That's when she smelled it. Bread. More importantly, food. She cursed. She needed it, but she couldn't risk getting caught with Levi with her.

Something caught her eye. A sharp inhale. A scurry in the dark. Her brown eyes narrowed. _A rat?_

"Please," the creature moaned. Kuchel's eyes widened as the creature was revealed. It resembled a child, but it's face was gaunt and hollow, it's limbs thin and frail. Translucent skin stretched over it's bones. Thin, stringy hair fell around it's face.

"Please, don't let them know I'm here," the girl begged. Kuchel simply nodded, horrified. She'd seen starving children before, but now that she had one of her own… it was a whole different reality. Levi simply looked on, not sure what this creature was. He cooed.

Kuchel gasped, placing her hand over her son's mouth. "Levi!" she hissed.

But the men heard him. "What was that?"

Their heavy footsteps grew more and more daunting as Kuchel stood there like a deer in headlights. When common sense reached her again, she fled, leaving the starving kid behind.

"Wait!" the girl screeched. Her thin legs tried to carry her away, but instead they shook and gave out. The men shouted and sounds of cracking bones echoed in Kuchel's brain as she darted away. The girl's screams echoed through the underground until a final gunshot broke through the noise.

Kuchel's eyes filled with tears as Levi started to wail. You see, even at that age, he knew when Death claimed someone.

* * *

 **The Fif** **th** **Time**

Levi saw Death come and go as he grew. He saw more youth claimed by their gaunt faces and hollow insides. He saw the old lady who lived across the street drop dead one morning, as if Death had spun a wheel that morning and it just so happened to land on her. He never cried though. Well, until the winter of his sixth year.

"Levi, here."

Levi shook his head. His belly was aching, but his mother hadn't eaten in at least a week. She'd given all the food they stole to him.

"Levi, take it," Kuchel ordered. She sat up in their bed, holding out the piece of food he'd stolen that morning. Levi glared at her and shook his head.

"I'm not eating anything until you do, Mama," he stated. His gray eyes flashed, reminding Kuchel of his father. It hadn't been for the money with him. She had actually loved that man. When she revealed her pregnancy to him, he'd left her, saying she was just a source of pleasure. She blinked away her past. She had to focus on her son.

"Levi, I'm begging you," she pleaded. Her brown eyes filled with water and it ran down her cheeks. Levi hated it when she cried. She held out the stale, hardened bread to him, and he took it. _How can she be happy while she watches me eat?_ He thought, watching his mother smile as he took a bite. When he finished, his mother tapped on the space beside her, gesturing for him to get in bed with her.

"Come get in bed, Levi," she whispered. Levi climbed onto the bed, remembering how she used to scoop him up in her arms and place him on the bed. She didn't do that anymore. The last time she tried, her arms started to quake and she dropped him back on the floor. He snuggled close to her, digging his face into her breast. She wrapped her arms around her him, pulling him close to her.

"I love you, Levi," she murmured.

"I love you, too, Mama," he yawned. She squeezed him tighter, letting tears fall from her eyes into his dark hair.

* * *

"Mama?"

The world was silent just like every morning. But today was different.

Levi was cold. He was never cold. His mother always kept him close to her and the heat radiating off her body would soak into his skin and keep him warm.

Yet, he shivered.

He lacked the soft tickle that her breath would leave on his cheek, the rise and fall of her chest. The chocolate warmth of her eyes.

"Mama!" he shrieked. He shook her. "Mama, wake up!"

She didn't. Saltwater filled in his eyes, blurring the world. Blurring his mother's gaunt face, the translucence of her skin. He screamed, again and again, sobs racking his body. She didn't stir.

That was when Levi finally realized that Death didn't just visit distant people who you passed by everyday but didn't know their name. That's when he realized that Death could, and would, claim anyone it wished.

* * *

 **The Fiftyith** **Time**

It was all his fault. He'd been so caught up in killing the commander and getting the scroll that he'd lost everything. Honestly, it always amazed him how fast you can lose something. How fast you can break.

So there he was, shattering. His body shook as he stared at the green eyes of his friend, his sister. They were lifeless, dull, so unlike what he remembered. Her hair was caked with blood, the rest of her body nowhere to be seen. The only thing left of Isabel was her head. Levi's chest squeezed, making it hard for him to breathe. Those green eyes that had rooted themselves in his soul were being ripped out slowly.

As if Death hadn't taken enough, half of a boy was thrown from the titan's mouth. The boy's face had terror permanently imprinted in it. His blue eyes were wide and fearful. Crimson flowed from his open torso, staining the ground and mixing with the rain, creating ribbons in the puddles. _Farlan…_

Something inside Levi snapped, and a boiling rage leaked through his veins. He grabbed his blades and let out an agonized scream that seemed to shake the Earth. He screamed again and again as his blades tore through the flesh of the monster that did this, that let Death have these people. The titan roared as it's blood splashed through the air, coating Levi. The ground shook when the titan fell. As Levi landed, the burning rage melting his body, one thought ran through his mind. _Take this thing, Death. You've taken everyone else. Might as well take Erwin Smith, too._ A single tear flowed down his cheek.

* * *

 **The One-Hundred and Fiftyith** **Time**

She was so beautiful. Even in death. He didn't know how it was possible to be beautiful while blood flowed from your mouth and nose and into your hair. But she was.

Then again, Petra was always beautiful. When he first saw her bright, innocent brown eyes and thought, _she's not going to make it;_ he'd thought she was beautiful. On her first expedition, while her eyes were flashing red with rage and her auburn hair was tossed and frazzled, he'd thought she was beautiful. When her cheeks had bloomed pink with pride when he read her name off the list of soldiers that would be joining Squad Levi, he'd though she was beautiful. The first time he kissed her, and her whole body glowed with fiery passion, he'd told her she was beautiful. At night, when she crawled into his bed, he'd thought she was beautiful.

Now, he felt numbness spread through his body as he stared at her body. The body that he'd cradled and held was now broken and twisted around a tree. Her blood spread around her head like a halo. Levi stared, his face betraying no emotion, even though his whole self was being pulled apart at the seams. He'd lost the one he loved. Again.

He just hoped Death had been gentle taking Petra. He hoped Death had wrapped Petra is his cloak and carried her away, making sure not to harm her again.

* * *

 **The Last Time**

The last time Levi saw death, it was his time. It had been ninety-five years since he first met Death, and now he was ready.

He'd lived to see the titans secrets exposed; he'd seen the barriers the walls created destroyed. He'd watched the brats grow up into young adults; he watched them become parents themselves. He'd found new love, a love just as strong as his and Petra's, though he never forgot his auburn haired angel. He had a daughter, whom he and his wife named Isabel, and a son, Farlan. He watched his children grow up and move away, he'd met his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.

He'd lived.

But just as everyone lives, everyone dies, and it was time for Humanity's Strongest Soldier to go.

He looked at those around him. Eren, Mikasa and Armin, all of which had sprouted gray hair and wrinkles had appeared on their once bright and youthful faces. He looked at his beautiful wife; he wiped away her tears with his fingertips. He also noticed those who weren't there, but who he'd be among soon. Hanji, Erwin, Jean and Sasha. His mother, Farlan, Isabel, Petra. He whispered his goodbyes. He kissed his wife and hugged his children. Then, he waited.

When Death finally came, it greeted him like an old friend, and Levi smiled as he was wrapped in Death's cloak and finally, taken away.

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Please review/favorite/anything. It means a lot to me when you do. Also, I'd like to address the review that was posted on this story under my name. It's a result of my younger brother's good humor, so please just ignore it.**

 **Thank you!**

 **Love,**

 **Ivy**


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